Modern motor vehicles typically employ various occupant protection systems that self-actuate from an undeployed to a deployed state without the need for intervention by the occupant. Such systems often include an inflatable occupant protection system in the form of a cushion or bag, commonly referred to as an “airbag cushion,” which are now a legal requirement for many new vehicles. Such airbag cushions are typically installed in various locations in a vehicle and may deploy into one or more locations within the vehicle between the occupant and certain parts of the vehicle interior, such as the doors, steering wheel, instrument panel, dashboard or the like, to prevent or cushion the occupant from forcibly striking such parts of the vehicle interior.
Various types or forms of occupant protection systems have been developed or tailored to provide desired vehicle occupant protection based on either or both the position or placement of the occupant within the vehicle and the direction or nature of the vehicle collision. For example, driver and passenger inflatable cushion installations have found wide usage for providing protection to drivers and front seat passengers, respectively, in the event of a head-on type of collision. Other installations have found wide usage for providing protection to vehicle occupants in the event of a side impact (e.g., side collision, roll-over).
The airbag cushion is conventionally housed in an uninflated and folded condition to minimize space requirements. In the event of an accident, an accelerometer within the vehicle measures the abnormal deceleration and triggers the expulsion of rapidly expanding gases supplied or produced by a device commonly referred to as an “inflator.” The expanding gases fill the airbags, which immediately inflate in front of the driver and/or passenger to protect them from impact against a windshield, dashboard, or other surfaces of the vehicle interior.
Such inflators may typically be attached to a gas guide for the airbag cushion. The gas guide may comprise a tube or other gas channel that directs the flow of the gas from the inflator into the airbag. Some conventional inflatable cushions often use a rigid gas guide, such as made from metal or plastic. Other conventional inflatable cushions may use a textile gas guide comprising a folded piece of material that is sewed along an edge to create a channel for the inflation gas. Such sewed seams on textile gas guides may, however, be subject to damage when gas from the inflator enters into and flows through the gas guide. Furthermore, such seams may be difficult to sew and may require specialized equipment during manufacturing.